Code Snippets

Thursday, 30 January 2014

Congress retired hurt

In the futuristic planning processes currently unfolding in the
Congress, politics does not seem to concern the now and the present.

Barring some concessions to the election season, such as the alliance in
the process of being stitched up with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in
Bihar, the top leadership’s diffidence has sent despondent signals down
the line in the run up to the polls, where the principal opposition
party has mounted an all-cylinders-blazing campaign.

Party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi’s sincerity in effecting “radical,
long-term” structural changes is matched only by the stoicism with which
the old guard is maintaining status quo.

In a meeting with representatives of the SC/ST/OBC communities on
December 13, Rahul had declared: “Congress cannot be functioning in the
same manner. Processes need to be blown apart and we need to transform
the way the Congress has been functioning. I know people dislike me for
it but I don’t care.”

Contrast this claim with the most critical structure in an election year
i.e. the screening committee for candidate selection, which has shown
no signs of restructuring.

The screening committee of the Congress still includes the AICC general
secretary in charge of a particular state, an observer from the AICC,
the president of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) and leader of the
Congress Legislature Party.

And while suggestions to the effect of fielding 50 per cent of the Lok
Sabha candidates below the age of 35 years had been floated at an AICC
meeting on January 17, the screening committees have so far received no
broad directions for candidate selection.

Team Rahul Gandhi wants to ‘democratise’ the candidate selection and the
screening committees will soon get ‘guidelines’ on the process.

Sources in the Rahul camp claim the age-old system of leaders of various
camps recommending names for party tickets will be stopped.

But the reality is that, as opposed to Rahul pitching for younger
candidates, the party fielded octogenarian Motilal Vohra and
septuagenarians Murli Deora and Viplove Thakur for the upcoming Rajya
Sabha elections.

“We do not expect many seats. We would be happy if at least 10 per cent
seats were given to Congress workers who are less than 40,” said a Youth
Congress functionary.

At the same time, the urgency and hunger for victory are replaced by various experiments to overhaul the organisation.

While the BJP has closed ranks and announced “winnability” as the only
criterion for candidate selection in every seat, Rahul has announced
that in at least 15 Lok Sabha seats across the country, candidates will
be decided through a referendum.